Radiant annunciator-sign



R. N. CHUBB.

RADIANT ANNUNCIATOR SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1920.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

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Rowland M .Chubb ATTORNEY INVENTOR with others.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROWLAND N. CHUBB, 0F STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA RADIANT ANNUNCIATOR-SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat gnted. 111 15; 1921 Application filed May 8, 1920. Serial No. 379,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROWLAND N; CHUBB, a subject of Great Britain, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiant Annunciator-Signs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the charactors of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in annunciator signs such as are extensively used for advertising.

poses.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sign structure so constructed and arranged that any combination of letters or numerals may be had, so that the sign may show any desired wording or lettering, without the necessity of making any changes to the sign itself, or replacing certain parts Another object is to provide a sign in which the various character combinations may be had, which will be visible either by night or by day, without the'necessity of employing intricate and expensive mechanism for making such changes in combination, and yet which enables thenecessary changes to be readily and easily made in a very short time.

A further object is to produce sign of the type specified, in which the words or combinations of characters formed'will appear ycry distinctly, and will not have the blurred appearance so common in many such signs.

My improved. sign is particularlyadapted to be used by theaters, for the display ofthe,

names of plays, etc, on the street. which, names about; and for stores and shops, for adver-i tisinc: or calling attention to various articles, in which case the sign may be made large enough to be suspended above the store front, or so small that it may readily be placed in a show window.

The sign may alsobe usedv for bulletins,

announcements. etc, and installed in ofiices,

display,'or other purare changed once a week or there-1"" parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several vlews.

Figure '1 is a front view of asign embodymg by lmproved features of construction. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section thereof. V I

V Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached view of a form of shutter.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

numeral 1 denotes a faceplate provided with closely spaced sets of openings Q'throughout the area thereof, and preferably, but not necessarily, positioned in regular alinement, so that any letters may be formed which Wlll present a continuous and symmetrical appearance. 7

In the acompanying drawing I have.

shown five horizontal rows of openings and in anyv event an odd number-of such rows such as 7, or 9, would preferably, beemployed,since a good many of the letters of the alphabet have a substantially central horizontal cross-bar, such as E, H, P, S and others.

By thus having a row of openings cen- ,,tral of the remainder, the symmetry of outline of the letters formed is preserved.

Each set of openings is preferably in the formof a Maltese cross, since I believe this design to be the best suited to evenly divide up a given area. into an equal. number of solid and cut-out portions. The outer edge ahowever could be circular without impairing the feature above set forth.

I have also found that this design attracts till attention thereto, and that it well combines with other sets, when arranged to outline a letter 01' other chi meter.

The face plate 1 is preferably of sheet metal, or other opaque material.

Such plate, surrounding each set or openings, is pressed outwardly therefrom as at 3, for a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a sinjiilziir sheet of material.

On the inner side of the face plate, and resting closely against that portion not pressed outwardly, is a plate 4t of non-transparent but translucent material, such as white opal glass, or opalescent glass of any color distinctive to the color of the plate 1 may be used.

Positioned in the pressed out portions and bearing closely there-against are opaque shields of the same design as the sets openings 2. These shields have pins 6 projecting through the plate 1 central. of the opening-sets. Each pin outside the plate has a. cross-bar 7 or similar member so that it may readily be turned by hand or by some suitable implement manipulated by a person below the sign, should the latter be mounted out of normal reach of the operator.

Each solid arm of the shields is almost the exact width, or a trifle more if anything, of each individual opening 2 in the opening-sets 2, and each arm and opening is 01? course exactly the same size as the other arms and openings, so as to be interchangeable; and so that by turning the shields 5 a quarter-turn in one direction or the other ai iout their pivotal pins, the openings may be uncovered to expose the glass, or covered to present the appearance of an unbroken surface with the face plate 1, the color of such shields being the same as the face plate 1.

Suitable stops are provided in any desired manner to limit the movement of the shields in either direction.

Fig. 1 of the drawings depicts the letters U. S. as being displayed. and while the limitations of the drafting art prevent the proper representation of solid colors, it will be evident that if the face plate and shields are properly painted in a deep and solid color throughout, an unbroken surface will appear to be had a very short distance from the eye.

The number of sets of openings in a sign of a. given length is of course sufficient to enable any word or words to be outlined thereon, such length depending on the service to which the sign is to be put.

The face plate 1 is mounted in a suitable inclosed casing 8, containing any desired number of sources of artificial illumination, such as electric lamps 9.

.lhese lights of course serve to illuminate the exposed openings at night, thus outlin ing the legend or sign displayed, while the nature of the glass behind the openings permits he sign to be readily seen and read in the da time.

The sign shown in the drawings has a single face plate, but it will be evident that an opposite one may be also provided, should. the sign be intended to be seen from two directions, as in those projecting across the sidewalk from above stores, etc.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the object of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is 1. A radiant annunciator sign comprising an opaque face plate provided with closely spaced openings throughout its area whereby any line combinations may be formed, and to allow light to penetrate therethrough, an independent revoluble shield for each opening to cover the same at will, the openings and shields being so correspondingly formed. and connected that the latter may be moved in the plane of the plate to uncover said openings without interference with adjacent openings.

2. A radiant annunciator sign comprising an opaque face plate provided with closely spaced openings throughout its area whereby any line combinations may be formed, and to allow light to penetrate therethrough, such openings being substantially circular in outline and having spaced webs connected with the plate and with each other, and an independent shield for each opening positioned behind the plate and shaped to correspond to the openings, and adapted to be moved to be concealed behind the openingwebs to uncover the openings.

A. radiant annunciator sign comprising an opaque face plate provided with closely spaced openings throughout its area where by any line combinations may be formed, and to allow light to penetrate therethrou h, such openings being substantially circu ar in outline, and being partly covered with webs radiating from the center and integral with the plate, the shape of each web being similar to but slightly greater than the intcrn'iediate openin -spaces, and an independent shield for eacli opening to uncover the same at will, the shields being pivotally mounted to the plate at the centers of the openings and shaped to correspond to the opening-webs, whereby they may be turned to cover the openings or to be superimposed over the webs to uncover said openings.

4. A device of the character described comprising an inclosed casing containing a source of light, an opaque face plate thereon, an opalescent pane of a color distinct from the face plate positioned closely therebehind, the plate being pressed outwardly in closely spaced circular areas throughout its extent, each such area having a plurality 10 turnably mounted in the circular areas be- 15 tween the pane and the late.

In testimony whereof aflix my si nature.

ROWLAND N. CH BB. 

